Houston Overpowers Texas A&M, Ends NCAA Tournament Run for Aggies

The run that first-year head coach Bucky McMillan has taken Texas A&M on has finally come to an end in Oklahoma City, as the dominance of Houston's defense was able to rise to the occasion and punch a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Aggies' offense had its lowest scoring performance of the season and was unable to play at the pace 'Bucky ball' is known for, as the Cougars controlled it for most of the game.

A&M's highest scorers, Rashaun Agee and Rylan Griffen, were held to 13 points and were unable to win the rebound, turnover, and second-chance point battle with the two guard veterans Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, along with freshman Milos Uzan, all finishing with double figures to help the Houston offense have a happy flight back home.

Aggies vs Cougars Recap

In year 1 of Bucky Ball, the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament run comes to an end in the Round of 32.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/dbVT9AsFOn
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) March 22, 2026

Offensive buckets were falling for A&M in the first few minutes before Houston's offense took over, helping head coach Kelvin Sampson's team build a 20-point lead that got chopped to 18 at halftime. The Tampa, Florida native recorded 14 first-half points and went 4 of 9 from the field and 2 of 7 from three while converting all four of his free throws.

Defensively, the Aggies were unable to limit the mid-range jumpers that one of the top NBA prospects, Kingston Flemings, hit, as his senior teammate, Milos Uzan, also had great shot selection, scoring nine points in his 18 first-half minutes alongside Flemings.

McMillan switched the defensive looks to try to throw off the Cougars, but nothing seemed to work. An 18-0 run over 6:11 hurt the offense going into the second half, after shooting 34 percent from the field and 31 percent from three.

A&M was losing the rebound, points in the paint, and turnover battles, which dug a hole hard to climb out of at the intermission.

Agee was held to four points in the first half, with Houston's size affecting the pace of play he typically contributes to. Griffen had two points, so when two of the sharpest shooters got stopped by one of the nation's best defenses, it took other guards stepping up, like Josh Holloway and Pop Isaacs, who combined for 11 first-half points with three of the five 3-pointers credited to them.

Out of the locker room, an 8-0 run for the Cougars in the opening minute added to the lead, and at one point, the Cougars led by 26. The two freshmen, Flemings and Cenac Jr., along with the veteran Sharp, kept the game in double figures the rest of the contest.

There was no comeback for A&M with an 8-0 run in the last 3:16 to end the game for Houston to end the 2025-26 campaign for McMillan and Co.

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